The invention relates to an apparatus for forming a plurality of vented jets, particularly a shower head, with a device for producing unvented individual jets, at least one air access space positioned below it and a plurality of passage channels with obstacles projecting into the path of the individual jets for atomizing the latter.
Known devices for producing vented water jets generally have a perforated plate, beneath which is disposed in spaced manner a wire screen or sieve, which brings about the separation and mixing of the individual jets passing through the perforated plate with the air. The mesh width of the sieve is such that the sieve openings are smaller than the perforations of the perforated plate, so that dirt particles carried out of the pipe or mains are left behind in the sieve and disturb the jet pattern or reduce the passage of water. Scaling has the same effect and in the case of fine-meshed sieves progresses very rapidly and with calcareous water rapidly leads to such a flow reduction that it is no longer possible to suck in an adequate quantity of air.
Offenlegungsschrift No. 28 21 195 discloses a hand-held shower with devices for forming vented jets. In this device the obstacle for atomizing an individual jet in a passage channel is constituted by a disk-like jet splitting or dividing element with a concave surface, whose diameter is a multiple of the diameter of the outlet for the individual jet, It is placed axially in the path of the individual jet, so that the latter strikes directly against the disk and is reflected by the latter. This greatly decelerates the individual jet, so that there are serious energy losses and consequently the jet pattern is unfavourably influenced.